How to Interpret ACT Scores

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD. Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015.

There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

The ACT is a common achievement test designed to assess high school students’ academic readiness for college. This test includes English, mathematics, reading, and science components, and also includes an optional writing component, which may be requested by some colleges.[1] ACT scores are one factor that colleges use to choose which students to admit to their institutions. Once you take the ACT, your scores will be available for online viewing within about 2 weeks. Learning how to interpret your ACT score will allow you to better understand your academic strengths and weaknesses and can provide an indication if a college or university is academically suitable for you.

Steps

Part One of Two:Examining Your Multiple-Choice and Composite Test Scores

Wait for your results. ACT scores are normally available for online viewing 10 days after each test date (usually the second Tuesday after the test day). Score reports, including the Student Report, High School Report, and College Report, are available 3-8 weeks after testing. If you took the writing test, your score reports will be released within 5-8 weeks after the test date.[2]

Multiple-choice scores will be available online before writing scores because the scoring process for the writing test takes longer.[3]

Score reports will be sent to different destinations.[4] The student report is delivered to you via online access from your ACT web account, and reports ACT scores, college and career planning information. The high school report is delivered to your high school and reports the same information as the student report. The college report is delivered to each college or scholarship agency you listed (up to 6), and includes everything on the student report plus the grades you reported in up to 30 high school courses.

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Find your scores on your ACT paperwork. The ACT test is scored between 1 (low) and 36 (high) points. You will find a separate score for each of the four core sections (English, mathematics, reading, and science), as well as a composite score (an average of the four core sections). Depending whether or not you took the optional writing section, you may have a score for that, too. You will find additional information on your score report, including ranks and benchmarks.

Find your composite score. It will be written in bold in the upper left of your score report. It will be a whole number score.

Find your multiple choice test scores. There will be one each for English, mathematics, reading, and science, and each will be listed in bold. English, mathematics, and reading will also include sub-scores for various parts of the academic component. Sub-scores range from 1-18.

If applicable, find your writing score. This will be scored from 1-36, with writing domain scores that range from 2-12. It is divided into sub-scores as well, but note that these do not necessarily add up to your score on the writing test.[5]

Observe how your scores fall in relation to benchmarks. This feature is included in score reports. If your scores are at or above the benchmark scores, you will likely be ready for first-year college courses.[7]

Find your ELA and STEM scores and ranks. The ELA (English Language Arts) is an average of your English, reading, and writing scores. It ranges from 1-36. Your STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) score is an average of your math and science scores. It ranges from 1-36.[8] ELA and STEM scores will be included on tests taken during and after fall 2015.

Note your proficiency at understanding complex texts. This measures your level of proficiency on a subset of items in the reading test. It is specifically aimed at assessing your ability to identify the central meaning and purpose in complex texts.[9]

Acknowledge your “Progress Toward Career Readiness.” This score indicates your potential level of achievement on the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate, an assessment-based credential that provides official certification of skills critical to your future education and career success.[10]

Remember that the ACT scores are only estimates, and not precise measures, of your educational development and future career success.[11]

Know how the ACT is scored. Remember that you will receive a score from 1-36 for each multiple choice section (English, mathematics, reading, and science), and that your composite score will be an average of these four subject test scores. Knowing how the test is scored will help you interpret what your scores mean.[12]

You will receive one point for each of the questions on each test that you answered correctly. This will be your raw score, a record of how many questions you got right and wrong.[13]

No points are deducted for incorrect answers.

Your scores are scaled. This means that the raw scores are converted to scale scores, which have the same meaning for all the different forms of the ACT (regardless of which date a test was taken or what set of questions you took). Scaling translates each raw score into a score between 1 and 36, which is then reported to you in your score report.

Sub-scores measure your performance on a specific group of questions within each section.[14]

Use the average scores and reported percentiles only as a reference. Remember that your score target is unique to you and can be considered “good” or “needing improvement” based on the schools in which you are interested and your personal academic goals.

Inquire about the average ACT score for admission to your school of interest. This information can be found on the school’s website and can help you interpret if your scores are sufficient for admittance to your school of choice. Part of interpreting your ACT score is understanding where it will put you in the college admissions process.

Talk to an adviser or college counselor about where your ACT score places you in the college admissions process.

Interpret your college reports at the bottom of your score report. This table shows the average ACT test score for the institutions that you requested be sent your ACT test score. It also show how you compare to others who have been accepted at each school in the recent past.

Decide if you want to retake the ACT. Many students take the ACT twice, once as a junior in high school and once as a senior. However, you can take the ACT up to 12 times.[16]

Do not get discouraged with a low score on the ACT, and do not be afraid to retest. Out of students from the 2014 graduating class who took the ACT more than once, 57% increased their composite score on the retest.[17]

Retest if you had any issues during testing, such as misunderstanding directions or feeling ill.[18]

Consider retesting if you do not feel that your scores represent your academic abilities or if you have since completed coursework in the areas covered by the ACT.

Visit the ACT website to receive the most up-to-date information about the ACT before your retest date.

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Community Q&A

Yes, ACT offers a service called Test Information Release. If you test on a national test date in December, April, or June and pay an additional fee (either when you register or within 3 months after the exam), you will receive a copy of the questions, your answers, and the correct answers. We did so for our son's first attempt to help him with studying for the next time; being able to see his specific mistakes and come up with strategies for fixing them was invaluable!

Warnings

A perfect score is not a guarantee that you will get into the college or colleges of your choice. While the ACT is one part of admissions, most schools will also examine GPA, extra-curricular activities, class rank, and entrance essays.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD. Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015.